![]() In the neotropics, bat caves have been documented in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean, and in some South American countries (e.g., Corso et al., 2010 Ladle et al., 2012 Medellín et al., 2017 Otálora-Ardila et al., 2019). The locations that provide shelter for these large bat populations are known as bat caves and have been documented in some places across the world ( Ladle et al., 2012 Furey and Racey, 2016). Although the number of bats in a cave can vary drastically, the largest aggregation of warm-blooded vertebrates is found in caves, reaching millions of individuals at a single site ( Betke et al., 2008 Medellín et al., 2008). Moreover, our results demonstrate a warning call: the applied aspects of the environmental licensing process of the mining sector and its impact must be reviewed, not only in Brazil, but wherever this licensing process affects caves having exceptional bat populations.Ĭaves are among the most used shelters by bats and are critical to the survival of several species worldwide ( Furey and Racey, 2016). Facing strong anthropogenic impacts and an underrepresentation of caves in conservation action plans worldwide, the genetic connectivity demonstrated here confirms that bat caves are priority sites for bat and speleological conservation in Brazil and elsewhere. gymnonotus uses a network of bat caves geographically segregated hundreds of kilometers apart. Our results indicate the lack of a clear geographic structure with gene flow among all the caves analyzed, suggesting that P. Here, we used ddRADseq data to analyze the genetic structure of Pteronotus gymnonotus across nine bat caves over 700 km. Spatio-temporal reproductive connectivity between distant populations would change our understanding of the use of roosts among bat species in Brazil, and important gaps in knowledge of long-distance bat movements in the country would be filled. However, systematic monitoring of some bat caves in northeastern Brazil shows that they experience strong population fluctuations over short periods of time, suggesting large-scale movements between roosts and a much broader use of the landscape than previously considered. Current knowledge of bat caves in Brazil is still small. ![]() These populations play a wider role in ecological interactions, are vulnerable due to their restriction to caves, and have a disproportionate conservation value. 3Bat Lab Finland, Finnish Museum of Natural History, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finlandīat caves in the Neotropical region harbor exceptional bat populations (> 100,000 individuals).2Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biologia Animal, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.1Laboratório de Ciência Aplicada à Conservação da Biodiversidade, Departamento de Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Recife, Brazil.Fernanda Ito 1,2,3, Thomas Lilley 3, Victoria G. ![]()
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